1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable supports for containers and to aftermarket holders for automobiles, boats, and the like, and particularly to a support for cooling a container that provides a holder for a container of chewing tobacco, smokeless tobacco or the like, that can be clipped or otherwise releasably mounting to a vehicle air conditioner vent or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Chewing tobacco (also known as chew) refers to a form of smokeless tobacco furnished as long strands of whole or very coarsely shredded leaves, which is consumed by placing a portion (typically referred to as a cud, plug or chaw) between the cheek and gum or teeth and chewing. Unlike dipping tobacco, chewing tobacco is not ground and must be mechanically crushed with the teeth to release flavor and nicotine.
A variety of different types of chewing tobacco are commercially available, including loose leaf tobacco, plug tobacco, twist tobacco and tobacco bits. Loose leaf tobacco is sweetened and packaged loose in aluminum lined pouches. The chewer simply takes a portion directly from the pouch. Plug tobacco is press-formed into sheets with the aid of a little syrup, typically in the form of molasses, which helps to maintain form as well as to sweeten the tobacco. The sheets are then cut into individual plugs, wrapped with fine tobacco and then packaged. Individual servings must be cut or bitten directly from the plug. Twist tobacco is spun and rolled into large rope-like strands and then twisted into a knot. The final product is much lower in moisture than plug or loose leaf, and historic varieties could be smoked in a pipe as well as chewed. Tobacco bits are formed by rolling sweetened and, typically, flavored tobacco into small pieces, which are then consumed individually. These are typically packaged in small cylindrical tins.
It is often desirable for the user to cool or refrigerate tobacco bits prior to insertion into the user's mouth. In addition to the sensation of the cooled chewing tobacco, refrigeration thereof minimizes the formation of nitrosamines therein, which are known carcinogens. As tins of tobacco bits are commonly carried by the users, often in pockets, where the tins can be heated by body heat, it would be desirable to provide a holder for such tins that allows for the portable cooling thereof. Thus, a support for cooling a container solving the aforementioned problems is desired.